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Parks and Rec proposes new maintenance building

The Durango Parks and Recreation Department is proposing a new $2 million maintenance building to replace the old structures at Greenmount Cemetery.

If the Durango City Council approves the project as part of the 2015 budget, the structure would be fully designed in the spring, and construction would start shortly after.

In 2012, an architectural firm found the facility needed to be replaced, in part because it could collapse under heavy snow, said Parks and Rec Director Cathy Metz.

In addition, the building is too small because the amount of land the department manages has grown significantly since the 1980s when the facility was built.

“It is becoming very difficult for us to function,” Metz said.

The building would be funded with revenues from a half-cent sales tax, approved by voters in 2005, that is dedicated to parks and rec.

The department has been saving funds from this revenue source specifically for this new facility, Metz said.

The building is expected to be 9,460-square-feet, which would be bigger than the other maintenance structures combined.

Inside the new building, 3,700 square feet would be dedicated to office space, and 5,760 square feet would used as a shop.

The outside is planned to be concrete with aluminum-framed windows.

The $2 million also would include a new access road and parking.

During construction, the original shop would stay operational, and a temporary trailer would be brought to the cemetery for office space.

The department will use the old shops to store equipment until the new facility is finished, and then they will be demolished.

If City Council does not approve the project, it will be deferred for a future year, Metz said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com



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